Essentials of Children's Literature (What's New in Literacy)

For survey courses in children’s literature. Also suitable as a companion text in an integrated reading/language arts course.

From a well-known, well-respected author team–a comprehensive, yet concise resource about children's literature and engaging children as readers.

This widely popular text focuses on engaging pre-service teachers and librarians in experiencing the joy of reading, selecting, and sharing excellent children's books with students and engaging them as readers. Clear, concise, and direct, the book uses recommended book lists, examples, figures, and tables in combination with narrative and prose, freeing class time for involvement with literature. Through newly added connections to classrooms and libraries, in addition to expanded content related to standards and trends in literacy, Essentials of Children's Literature is an indispensable guide for future teachers and librarians.

From reviews of this book:

“The overall strengths of this textbook are the empirical research cited, the charts and diagrams used, the variety of books covered, and the pragmatic approach to selecting and enjoying literature for children. I think students would find it accessible, interesting, and practical. The authors’ passion for children’s literacy and education is clearly expressed in the text.”

- Erika J. Travis, California Baptist University

“Understanding how to select books for and with children is a key component of success as a teacher–so I was happy to see in-depth coverage of that, including the Age Level information as well as the Reading Interest questions [Chapter 2]. . . . The use of the color illustrations and then the chart with the “Guide to Illustrations”–very helpful [Chapter 4].”

- Roxanne Owens, DePaul University

“. . .[S]trengths in each of the chapters [include] notable authors, recommended books, read alouds, investigation for further study, and the references. . . . I also use the award winners for our literature circles in class.”

- Judith Ann Stechly, West Liberty University